Men above 35 and those who haven’t hit a genetics jackpot would know that male-pattern baldness is a frequently encountered problem. Even more frequently encountered are brands that offer hair loss solutions that not only claim to completely halt the loss but also promise hair re-growth. What really makes the entire deal tempting is the convenience of assuaging your concerns without having to leave the house. But, remember that convenience comes with a price.
Hims and Keeps and several other online brands are just the tip of the iceberg. By Iceberg I mean the Telemedicine industry, a booming industry these days. Many such startups offer people hair loss solutions in the form of topical agents, pills or gummy vitamins, promising hair re-growth as well as assuaging other hair and scalp issues.
However, the burning question here is, whether these options are a solution to all your hair issues or just a gimmick to make a profit? Do these really make a difference, and if not, then what is the real solution?
Let us discuss the flaws in such setups and if they’re really worth trying or not.
Doctor-Patient Interaction
Most of the hair loss solutions offered by Hims and Keeps and various other such companies are medicines that are otherwise prescribed by a doctor after a thorough consultation and examination. This is the most invaluable step that an online purchase, if not completely, partly skips.
What if, you’re misdiagnosed and hair loss is not male-pattern baldness, instead there’s an underlying reason for it? An online setup will surely not be able to run the relevant tests and investigate that.
Drugs like Finasteride and Minoxidil are a general regimen offered by them after a brief online consultation, that too at a substantial discount as compared to a pharmacy. Both the drugs have important side effects that need to be discussed with the patient before they’re prescribed and only a doctor can decide whether or not the medicine will benefit an individual, its route of administration or if an additional drug needs to be given to enhance the efficacy.
Yet another important consideration is if the medicine being given is really needed? Not everyone needs to start with a pill directly, some respond to topical agents and some might need a transplant in the very first stage.
Is It Really A New Remedy?
Not really! Most of the medicines that are offered by brands promising complete halt to hair loss, hair re-growth, and other stellar results are in reality simple medicines, vitamins, and supplements that you can buy anywhere, just in a simpler package.
Propecia, for example, is a generic drug now that is marketed under different names. This gives such startups an opportunity to add ingredients without any proven efficacy to it and sell it under their own brands.
In a nutshell, you are more or less given one of these or a combination of Finasteride (1mg) also known as Propecia, Minoxidil (Rogaine), and Biotin (Vitamin). While these drugs are effective in regions with thinning hair, they have no role in hair re-growth in bald patches, and pretty much like all the other medicines, they have side effects. It is therefore extremely important for your healthcare provider to assess whether the benefits outweigh the adverse effects.
Is Surgery A Better Option?
While there are medicines that can be effective in stopping the hair loss, the reality is that once you start losing hair follicles in a region, they become dormant and lose their capability of producing hair.
In simple words, the medicines may have noticeable effects in early cases but in case of substantial hair loss, there’s not much that can be done. However, a hair restoration surgery in such cases has been proved to be effective. With the advancement in technology and the introduction of newer techniques, there has been a significant improvement in;
- Patient satisfaction
- Results (more natural looking)
There are two types of hair transplant methods, Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) and Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE). The choice of method depends on what you and your physician mutually decide. The former has been there for more than 2 decades and involves the removal of a strip of skin with follicles from the donor site and requires wound care during recovery. FUE, on the other hand, is a fairly newer technique that removes follicles without the removal of a strip of skin, thus addressing the concern of scar at the back of the head. Also, there is a lower post-operative discomfort in FUE.
Hair restoration surgery is a powerful tool that can make a great difference in the lives of people affected by androgenic alopecia. An experienced and trained surgeon will first decide if you’re an ideal candidate for the procedure or not, but once you opt for it, this minor surgery can make some major changes in your appearance and your life. Here are a few reasons why you should choose it over other solutions;
- A permanent solution for people facing severe hair loss
- Low maintenance is required once the surgery is done. You don’t require special shampoos or oils to take care of the transplanted hair.
- One procedure can give excellent results.
If you’re considering a surgical option for hair restoration, consulting an experienced, skilled, and trained surgeon will assuage all your concerns. Recent advancements have made hair transplant surgeries a convenient and long-term solution.
